Thread



K Feb. 7, 1939. GA s. RADFORD 2,146,314

THREAD Filed` July 2o. 193'? ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 7", 1939 UNITEDJ STATES PATENT oFFicE tllaims.

. This invention relates to threads or yarns suitable for use in the manufacture of fabrics by ordinary textile operations, such as weaving, knitting, braiding, etc., and for similar purposes. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a novel thread or yarn characterized by having textile quality and of composite structure, the A thread having physical-characteristics which'vary in accordance with the nature of its component elements and with their mode of assembly.

The .thread or yarn of the invention consists of a flexible core, which is preferably made of fibrous material, an outer sheath or veneer of material selected because of its visual and textile characteristics and ordinarily of a fibrous nature, securing the elements of the sheath to the core, the adhesive being flexible and so applied as not to'impairA the flexibility of the core to a detrimental degree. 'I'he core largely determines what may be referred to as the invisible qualities of the final product, such as its tensile strength, working characteristics, etc.. while the sheath or veneer determines its visual and tactile qualities or mixture of materials chosen with that purpose that thevveneer may accomconceal the core, although in some instances, less than complete concealment may be effected. 'I'he adhesive serves as a means for securing the elements of the sheath to the core so that the latter may 'act as afcarrier, and the elements, which are ordinarily individual fibres, are alxed by the adhesive -in completely random arrangement but may be thereafter rearranged in a suitable finishing process.

Since the core of the new thread oryarn acts as .the vehicle or support for the decorative sheath, it will be apparent that the'invention affords wide opportunity for the use in the production of threads of materials which lack the physical characteristics required to permit strands to be made therefrom, as by spinning. Accordingly, the production of threads which have the desirable appearance, feel, or both, of. materials which have not heretofore been available in thread form for use in textile manufacture, and it also makes possible the production of threads largely made up of fibres of a' spinnable material which are themselves unfit for' spinning because of their short length. Thus. for example, the sheath may be made of kapok or like vegetable fibres which cannot be spun, or it may be made of short fibres and is made of a material invention makes possible the of wool, cotton, silk, and the like, which have heretofore been discarded as waste because of their short length. Similarly, the sheath may be made of abrasive materiaL leather, tinsel, mother-of-pearl, cork, etc., and similar mate- 5 rials in finely divided condition, or it may be composed ofthe barbs of feathers, shredded paper, etc. These and similar materials, when aixed to a flexible fibrous core in accordance with 'the principles of the invention, result in 10 the production of threads or yarns which maybe employed for ordinary textile uses in the produc` tion of fabrics having novel characteristics.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation on a ggeatly magnied scale of one form of thread of the invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view of the 20' thread shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation on a greatly magnified scale of a core used in another form of the invention, the sheath being omitted;

Figures 4 -and 5, respectively', are side eleva- 25 tional views, respectively, of different forms of thread of the invention in which the core illustrated in Figure 3 is employed; y

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the thread shown in Figure 5; and 30 Figure 7 is a side elevational view on a greatly magnified scale of a form of the invention in which the sheath is of a non-fibrous material.

Referring to the drawing, the thread shown in Figure 1 comprises a core I0 ordinarily fibrous in nature. Thus, the core may consist, for example, of spun bres of cotton, wool, natural or artificial silk, or mixtures thereof, etc., or it may consist of indefinitely long fllaments of natural or artificial silk. For4 some 40 purposes, particularly when the nal product is to be of extremely small size, the core may'consist of a single artificial silk filament possibly of larger diameter than that of ordinary artificial silk filamentsnow produced commercially.

Applied to the surface of thecore is a continuous film il of an adhesive, and this film is extremely thin and the adhesive forming it is preferably applied Iin such manner that there is no substantial penetration of the core by the ad- 60 hesive. The adhesive employed may -be of various kinds, but since the final product is to have textile quality, the adhesive is one which remains flexible lndenitely and its flexibility is not less than that of the .core so that it will not stiii'en 55 accompanying 15 which is flexible and 35 I the latter. The adhesive I prefer to use is a synthetic resin or mixture of such resins, and it may be of the type which is softened by means of a solvent and sets on evaporation of the latter, or one which is softened by heat and sets upon cooling. Since the new threads may be employed in the production of fabrics used for articles of clothing, etc., the type of adhesive chosen will depend to some extent on the ultimate use of the thread. Thus, in the production of threads to be woven into fabrics used for clothing, the adhesive must be one capable of withstanding the agents used in laundering and dry cleaning operations, and suitable synthetic resin adhesives for this purpose are available. When the adhesive is applied, as illustrated in Figure 1, to produce a continuous film, the fiexibility of the adhesive after setting is an important factor in its selection, and in some cases, it may be necessary to employ an adhesive which contains a plasticizing agent.

The core is enclosed within a sheath of decorative material, illustrated as being fibrous in nature, with the individual fibres I2 bound to the core by the adhesive at one'or more points and in completely random arrangement. The fibres are ordinarily employed in such amount as to mask and conceal the core effectively, and, accordingly, the final product derives its tensile strength mainly from the core and its visual and tactile qualities are imparted to it by the sheath. The amount of adhesive employed is the least amount necessary to bind the fibres securely in place and the adhesive may be applied to the core in various ways, as, for example, by passing the core between a pair of rolls carrying an extremely thin coating of the adhesive. After the core has received the film of adhesive, the sheath may be applied in various ways, as, for example, by being blown against the coated core, or by passing the coated core through a chamber in which the sheath material is maintained in suspension. After the application of the sheath material, it may be desirable, in some instances, to lay the fibres more snugly against the core, as by burnishing, after which, if desired, the ends of the example, by a brushing or carding operation.

In -another form of the invention, illustrated in Figures 3 to 6, inclusive, the adhesive is not in the form/ of a continuous film on the core, but covers spaced areas I3 thereon,ithese areas being relatively close together and of so small size that there may be from ten to four hundred dots of adhesive per lineal inch of the core. The application of the adhesive in this manner may be readily accomplished by the use of rolls having dots or lines engraved thereon and similar in many respects-to those employed in half-tone work.

y If anengraved roller is used, it may be desirable to use the roller as a means for applying dots of adhesive' to a roller having a resilient surface, the latter roller being then employed toapply the adhesive to the core. When such an arrangement is used, the second roller, which may have a rubber surface, removes the adhesive from the engraved roller in such manner as to keep the latter clean, and clogging is thereby prevented.

When thecore is passedv between the rolls, one

' lof which'carries the small lines or dots of adhesive, similar fine lines or dots are applied to at a close and uniform is a spun strand made the surface of the core spacing. When the core fibres may be raised, for

up of individual fibres I4, the adhesive, even though forming lines on the roller, may be limited to the high spots of the in which case, the core carries small dots of adhesive. After the application of the adhesive, the fibrous material forming the sheath is applied to the core, and the individual fibres I5 are bound in random arrangement by the spaced dots. The fibres may contact with one or more such dots and thus be bound at one or more points. When a thread or yarn is made with the adhesive applied in interrupted fashion as illustrated, the size and spacing of the adhesively coated areas may be such that the elements of the sheath overlie and conceal the uncoated areas on the core between adjacent coated areas.

In the case of a thread or yarn of the invention in which the sheath is affixed by a discontinuous or interrupted layer of adhesive, the adhesive has less effect on the flexibility of the core, and, accordingly, while it is preferable to employ a flexible adhesive, the adhesive used may be much less flexible than that required when it is applied in a continuous film.

The thread or yarn illustrated in Figure 5 is of the same general construction as that shown in Figure 4, except that the fibres I6 of which the sheath is made are of greater staple length. Accordingly, the dots I1 of adhesive may be somewhat farther apart in the latter case than in the former, since the long fibres will span the spaces between adjacent dots so that they are likely to be bound at more than one place and will also conceal the uncoated areas between the dots.

In the production of the thread having a sheath and core of fibrous material, it may be desirable fibres of the core,

in some instances to apply the sheath to the core while the latter is in loosely twisted condition, after which, the twist of the core is increased. This causes the fibres of the sheath to be wound into the core somewhat, so that the sheath is held both by the adhesive and by the fibres of the core.

In the production of the yarns or threads of the type illustrated in Figures 1 to 6, inclusive, in which the sheath is made of fibrous material, various combinations of material may be employed for the sheath and core. Thus, for example, the core may be of cotton and the sheath of wool, in which event, the thread has the appearance and feel of wool and may have a suitable tensile strength, but is less costly than a thread made throughout of wool. Similarly, the core may be a cotton thread, and the `sheath of fibres of natural or artificial silk. YStill another combination includes a core of cotton, and a sheath of hair, fur, kapok and similar unspinnable vegetable fibres, shredded paper waste, shredded crepe waste, barbs of feathers, etc. In combinations of this type, the core is made of a material of lowcost and of the desired strength, while the heath is made up` of a material chosen because of the appearance and feel which it imparts to the nal product. Accordingly, the core may be of any suitable fibrous material having the desired characteristics, such as cotton, wool,

spun or iilamentary natural or artificial silk, and

action of one with a high Thus, the core may be wool fibres of high twist. and the sheath may also be of wool fibres, but the 'fibres of the `sheath'may be so applied as to give the flnal thread an appearance similar to that of a wool thread of low twist, in which event the thread has the high twist action of the core and the low twist4 appearance of the sheath. Another example of a material oi' this character is one which includes a natural silk core of hightwist and crepe action, and a sheath of silk fibres which are so applied as to give the thread the appearance of a thread of low twist. Similar results may be also obtained with artificial silk fibres in the core and sheath and various combinations of different materials will at once come to mind.

Another object attainable by the invention is that of making us'eof fibres which are of spinnable material but are themselves too short to be spun, and such short fibres, as, for example,

wool waste, natural and artificial silk waste, and the like, may readily be employed in the sheath was one having knobs or tufts thereon, and this is easily accomplished in accordance with the of the new thread. The sheath may also be made of combinations of materials, as, for example, of

wool and silk fibres, either natural or articial, in which event the flnal yarn has visual and tactile characteristics derived from' both materials employed in the sheath.

Instead of `employing material made up o 'individuen abres for the sheath, the latter may be formed of finely divided substances which are of a fibrous nature or otherwise, and in this way, various novel eects may be obtained. Thus, as illustrated in Figure 6, the core I8 may have a continuous film i9 of adhesive applied thereto and the` sheath may be of finely divided materials 2B, such as shredded leather, tinsel, cork, abrasives, mother-of-pearl, and the like.

In the manufacture of a thread of this type,

the sheath material is subdivided to a flneness suitable for producing the desired appearance and feel, and it is affixed by the use of either a continuous or discontinuous film of adhesive.

In some instances, it may be desired to produce a thread of ornamental appearance, such present invention. For this purpose, beads of adhesive are applied to the core atspaced intervals, thus producing knobs, the adhesive chosen having a color and the dots thereof beingdisposed at the spacing required to give the desired effect. To produce a thread having tufts, the same procedure is followed except that tuft material is applied to the core and bound by the adhesive after the applicationof the latter in the form of dots.

In the final product of the invention, the ratio of the weights ofthe sheath and core may vary widely, as, for example, the weight of the sheath may be two or three times that of the core,

and the sheath may be ailixed to the core in a single application or it may be builtup .in a series of operations. Preferably, if the sheath material is applied in a series of stages, adhesive is applied in discontinuous arrangement prior to each application of sheath material.-

'I'he kind of adhesive employed and itsmode of application depend to some extent on the relation of the -diameter of the core to that of the final Y thread, since, if the diameter of the core is small relative to that of the thread, the core may be somewhat :stiffer than .ip permissible when its diameter is large in relation t0 that `of the thread.

Accordingly, with a small diameter core, the adhesive need not be so flexible as with a large diameter core. Application of the adhesive to the core in a continuous film is, therefore, more satisfactory in connection with a small diameter core than with one of large diameter, and penetration of the core by the adhesive is not particularly important when the core diameter is small. With a core of relatively large diameter, the adhesive should be of high flexibility or else should be applied discontinuously.

In the foregoing, I have described the adhesive as constitutingone of the components f the product, but with cores o f certain materi s, such,

'for example, as cellulose acetate, the sheath can be bonded to the core without the use of adhesive by rendering the surface of the core tacky, by the application of heat or a solvent. 'Ihe use `of such expedients with a core of the type referred to is equivalent to using an adhesive, since the treated portions of thecore, to which the fibres or elements of the sheath adhere, serve the same purpose as areas on the core coated with an extraneous adhesive.

In all forms of the invention, the final product is a thread which has textile quality. This quality may be defined as the sum of the characteristic properties of an ordinary textile thread 'or fabric which permitit to yield in continuing conformity to a moving curved surface. In a textile thread, the fibrous components, which are spun or twisted together, are held in assembled relation both by friction and a permanent set l which has been imparted to them, and when such threads'are employed in the production of a fabric by usual textile operations, such as weaving, knitting, braiding, etc., the component parts both of the threads andthe fabric are not in continuous contact and slight relative localized movements between them are permitted. 'Ihis limited freedom of movementof the threads and fabric, to-4 gether with a large ratio of length to diameter .1

in the textile fibresthemselves, is the reason for the valuable flexibility and "form-fitting quality (both dynamic and static) which make "textile threads so well adapted for the purposes for which they'are employed.

I am aware that products consisting of a core and a coating or sheath applied to the core have been made heretofore.'an example of such a product being an insulated wire in which the core consists of a metal conductor and the sheath consists of fibres of insulating material, such as asbestos or the like affixed thereto. Similarly, it

has been proposed to pass threads vor yarns through a body of adhesive and to apply decorative material such asa metal powder thereto to form an outer coating. 'Ihese products, however, differ substantially from that of the present invention because of the nature of the core .emp

ployed, or because of the nature of the adhesive and of the amount and manner in which it is applied. The prior materials, as produced or proposed, have, accordingly, lacked those charthe sheath giving the thread its visual and tactile characteristics, and an adhesive affixing the individual fibres to the core, the adhesive covering closely adjacent spaced areas on the core.

2. A thread characterized by having textile quality and comprising a flexible core, a sheath of decorative material on the core with the elements of the sheath aflixed to the core in random arrangement, the core substantially determining the tensile strength of the thread and the sheath masking the core and giving the thread its visual and tactile characteristics, and adhesive covering spaced areas on the core and/securing the elements of the sheath thereto.

3. A thread characterized by having textile quality and comprising a flexible core of fibrous material, a sheath of fibrous material on the core with the individual fibres amxed to the core in random arrangement, said individual fibres being unspinnable, the core substantially determining the tensile strength of the thread and the sheath giving it its visual and tactile characteristics, and adhesive binding the fibres to the core, the adhesive covering spaced areas on the core, said areas being so near together that the fibrous material masks the core.

4. A thread characterized by having textile quality and comprising a flexible core of fibrous material, a sheath of fibrous material on the core with the individual fibres afiixed to the core in random arrangement, the fibrous material on the sheath being different from that making up the core, the core substantially determining the ten sile strength of the thread and the sheath giving it its visual and tactile characteristics, and adhesive binding the fibres to the core, the adhesive covering spaced areas on the core so closely adjacent that the brous material masks the core.

5. A thread characterized by having textile quality and comprising a core of spun fibres, the core being flexible and substantially determining thetensile strength of the thread, a sheath of fibrous material on the core and giving the thread its visual and tactile characteristics, the individual fibres of the sheath being afilxed to the core in random arrangement, and adhesive affixing the fibres to the core, said adhesive being fiex ble and retaining that characteristic indefinitely and covering spaced areas on the core, so closely adjacent that the fibrous material masks the core.

6. A thread characterized by having textile quality and comprising a flexible fibrous core substantially determining the tensile strength of the thread, a sheath of fibrous material on the core and giving the thread its visual and tactile characteristics, the individual fibres of the sheath being aiiixed to the core in random arrangement, and adhesive securing the fibres of the sheath in place, the adhesive covering closely adjacent spaced areas on the core and having the characteristic of being substantially unailected by the agents employed in laundering and dry cleaning operations.

GEORGE S. RADFORD. 

